The National Theatre of China's hit production Four Generations in One House made its highly anticipated Australian debut at the Sydney Event Centre on April 16 to great acclaim.

The performance was presented under the "Image China" brand — a flagship cultural export initiative of the China Arts and Entertainment Group (CAEG), in collaboration with Australian events management company ACY Live. The event attracted an audience of cultural figures, media representatives and over 1,000 enthusiastic spectators.

Adapted from the defining work of renowned Chinese literary master Lao She, the play is set in a small hutong, or alleyway-neighborhood, in wartime Beijing.

It chronicles the rise and fall of the Qi family across four generations — painting a panoramic portrait of the resilience and patriotic spirit of ordinary Chinese people during turbulent times.

Since its premiere in 2010, Four Generations in One House has been performed over 400 times in more than 70 cities worldwide. For the Australian tour, the National Theatre of China brought its original, award-winning cast.

The production is being directed by Tian Qinxin, who employs a "New Realism" approach to condense Lao She's 850,000-character novel into a stage masterpiece.

The performance faithfully recreates the clothing, food, housing and social customs of Beijing during the Japanese occupation — bringing the sounds of pigeon whistles and street vendors to life on the other side of the Pacific.

It's widely said that "Image China" has been a cornerstone of cultural exchange since its founding in 2009. In all, it's dispatched over 30 art troupes in more than 700 performances across the Americas, Europe and Oceania — reaching an audience of over 1 million people.

With this latest production, the brand continues to strengthen cultural bonds between the two nations.